1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope system to separate a part of a living tissue therefrom in a body cavity under observation with an endoscope and gather the separated tissue by suction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, an endoscope system has been used, the endoscope system to separate a part of a living tissue therefrom in a body cavity under observation with an endoscope by use of an endoscopic accessory and gather the separated tissue by suction so that the gathered tissue is used in a pathological examination.
As the endoscopic accessory in such an endoscope system, for example, a high-frequency snare is used. In the high-frequency snare, a polyp, a mucosal tissue or the like is tightened with a loop at a distal end of the snare, and a high-frequency current is passed through the loop to cut the polyp, the mucosal tissue or the like.
Moreover, to suck and gather the tissue, the following device is used. For example, an endoscope and a suction bottle are used to suck and gather the tissue. That is, in the endoscope, an operating portion is provided at a proximal end of an insertion portion insertable into the body cavity, and this operating portion is connected to a controller for controlling the endoscope via a connecting portion. A suction passage passes from a distal end of the insertion portion through the insertion portion, the operating portion and the connecting portion to communicate with the suction bottle, and the tissue is sucked and gathered into the suction bottle via the suction passage. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,418, a gather device is disclosed, the gather device to be arranged in front of such a suction bottle and separate and capture the tissue from blood, soil and the like being sucked together with the tissue. In Jpn. Utility Model Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 62-74804, a mesh basket is disclosed, the mesh basket to be detachably interposed in a suction passage at an operating portion of an endoscope and separate and capture the tissue from the blood, the soil and the like. In such an endoscope, a path through which the tissue is sucked is short, and hence the tissue is scarcely damaged during the suction.
Furthermore, in paragraphs “0099” to “0117” of Detailed Description of the Invention in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-226024, an endoscope system is disclosed to suck and gather a tissue using an endoscopic accessory and a specimen trap. That is, in the endoscopic accessory, a suction lumen is formed in a sheath insertable into the body cavity, and the specimen trap is connected to a proximal end of the suction lumen. Thus, the tissue is sucked into the specimen trap via the suction lumen, and then separated and captured from blood, soil and the like by a specimen filter disposed in the specimen trap.